The Ultimate E-Commerce Beginners Guide

Just imagine making a huge amount of money with e-commerce. You can easily start a business with e-commerce but is it a relevant source for profit?

E-commerce is a term that we are hearing more often in the past few years and we will continue to hear it forever maybe. Being number one money-making machine in sales, e-commerce is a tough call to make. However, there are millions of startups going into this “tricky” business very easily.

The Rise of E-Commerce

E-commerce is the biggest new trend. As the concept itself has risen quickly in the past few years everyone has heard of it. More importantly, people are using its services on a daily basis. It spreaded so quicklly like a virus and not a single person can recover from purchasing online.

The question is:How did it spread so quickly?

Let me take you back to the very beginning …

The Introduction of Internet

In 1962, happened the first discussion of the networking. J.C.R. Licklider was the first human to bring up the “Galactic Network” concept nowadays known as a computer network.

With the release of the internet in 1972, computer devices were connected together in order to communicate. With the appearance of internet, along came the concept internet of things, which allows machines to communicate through the network. From that moment, everything changed in the first place.

Thus, the internet communication expanded on a huge level and people started to communicate with the help of internet. Since then, it has revolutionized as the biggest source of “everything” and there was a huge change made in the algorithm.

The Appearance of Search Engines

Several years later, in 1995, the internet explorer was introduced. The very first internet explorer to use was Microsoft’s. Two years later, in 1997, Google launched its search engine. As you now know, it is considered as the biggest information provider.

Through the years, Google has developed its search algorithm and introduced the page rank. Since then every website and its pages, in particular, are involved in the battle of getting to the first page, including e-commerce sites.

Thus, begins the connection of internet with commerce.

Source: www.sizzlingbook.com

What Is E-Commerce

E-commerce is an electronic commerce which is used for transactional purposes. Additionally, includes any action of buying, or selling online. It can be used for any kind of business that is made online only and includes a transfer of information.

E-commerce is considered as the newest killer weapon to get money. Hence, it is an unlimited, worldwide open marketplace.

It expanded so rapidly that it made boundaries between the conventional and the electronic commerce. The rise of e-commerce started a few years ago and will continue to grow, and you have no idea. However, is it safe to rush into the electronic commerce?

Let’s dive in.

Is E-Commerce a Risky Business?

Being in this business is being in a constant race with the competitors, and is inevitable. Even though there is huge competition out there, the exponential future of e-commerce is no question at all. Rising among the competitors may be a tough race to go through.

What do you think: Is the term once on top – always on top, true?

Or can you fall from the market easily like a rain drop?

If you are thinking about going into the e-commerce world knowing that the competition is hard then you will need a well-planned strategy. You need to have a plan before you even start building your e-commerce site.

Source: www.emblixsolutions.com

E-Commerce Strategy

Once you are in the internet business, you need to know how to use the services that internet beneficially, offers you. Moreover, there are trends changing constantly and you need to keep up with them in order to succeed. To put it differently, you need to use every trend or strategy you possibly can.

First, you need to include goods or services that will make you different from the competitors. Consequently, being even slightly different than the competition, attracting customers can be inevitable.

Second, you need to make strategy on a whole level of SEO. If you are a beginner in this, you need to know how the Search Engine Optimization works. Furthermore, you need to know whether your services are suitable to transfer them online. Additionally, ask yourself the question why you need a website?

Let’s go more profoundly…

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO techniques is one of the many elements included in e-commerce. In order to succeed in electronic commerce, you need an excellent on-page strategy. However, the upcoming yearly trends is a rule to always have in mind and there are some rules that are essential. Therefore, you need to make sure that you are doing the right thing:

Put the keyword in your title tag

Add magnet words to your title

Respect the keyword density

Practice external linking

Add internal links

Spread LSI keywords in your text

Post content longer than 2000 words

Optimize your images

As Neil Patel would say, there is some cheat sheet in question. Therefore you must understand and keep up with the search engines and the updates of the search algorithm.

Source: www.youtube.com

Website Strategy

In addition, if you need optimizing content for SEO, you need optimizing your website as well for the sake of Google’s ranking website factors. In order to get to top 10 of Google’s rank, you need to provide a site speed. Google considers the speed of a site as ranking factor.

Thereupon, if your website is slow, the visitors will click the “X” and re-visit another website with more speed. If a site, takes more than 4 seconds to load, you might reconsider if your site is likely to go among the 10 in the search engine list.

In addition, launching your website might lead you to think about mobile e-commerce as well. According to statistics, mobile usage has increased about 51% in the past three years and outnumbered the usage of the desktop. Therefore, you might think about getting a mobile app for your business as well.

Off-Page SEO

As Brian Dean from Backlinko would say, if you want to succeed in off page SEO, you must master the ranking factors. To begin with, the concept off-page SEO is all about linking. First, you need to understand the ranking algorithm before you start with link building. Here are some off page SEO factors for you to practice:

The number of inbound links matters

The quality of your site’s links

Put anchor text to certain pages

Include social media

Do not exclude social bookmarking

Source: www.indabaa.com

E-Commerce Benefits

The benefits of e-commerce in this world of technology are numerous. Even though the competition is hard, you must admit that there is a huge benefit to buyers that later become your customers.

With the increase of technology services, people started to get addicted in the first place. Nowadays, people are using technology as a habit and continue to use it because they consider it highly beneficial.

For instance, if a customer has a chance to buy a product on the internet, he will embrace it. People already learned how to function on the internet and use its remarkable services. Thereupon you need to provide an excellent e-commerce customer service.

Closer To Your Customers

In addition, if people use technology even more in the next years which they certainly will, the market and e-commerce will increase as well. Thus, you can attract more customers and you will get closer to your customers. However, there are two important things so have in mind, if you want to achieve your goal.

Shipping

Hint:You are what you deliver.

With this in mind, if you make a deal with the wrong shipping partner, your business falls off. Further, shipping can make, or break your business, and you do not want to suffer a bad experience.

To put it another way, most of the new businesses in e-commerce do not give thought to the shipping. Consequently, it is one of the crucial elements to give previous thinking.

Packaging

Before you ship your products, you might think about the packaging as well. Henceforth, you need to pack your product in order to enable a safe travel. In other words, use packaging material that is according to the product that you are about to ship.

For example, if the product you are shipping is breakable, use a package that will cause safe shipping and transportation. To illustrate, bulk cargo, multi-depth and side ladders etc.

On the other hand, you can use other packages for clothing and other unbreakable material. However, you need to keep it from destroying. Keep yourself thinking outside the box and use a package to awake some feeling of happiness, or excitement. Thus, you will draw them on to purchasing more.

Source: www.greenerpackage.com

Top 5 E-commerce Examples

Humans are buying everything on the internet these days. Starting from glasses, clothes, bags and shoes to food. With the wide range of offerings on the internet, people would not even go to the closest store. Hence, everything they need they have it on the internet. More importantly, they can buy stuff from home while enjoying their coffee, or a glass of wine.

Amazon

To begin with, the most compelling evidence of e-commerce is Amazon. They started as an electronic commerce for books only, and over the years they made a complete market capitalization. As the New York Times would say, it is now the biggest retailer of online products.

It all started to go well when Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon created a unique strategy in combining traits and business together. Bezos has created an evolution which led to the reinvention of the entire e-commerce industry.

Even though their success started as an online bookstore, they are now providers of audiobooks, video games, electronics, and home products. Furthermore, they expanded with retail websites for the United States, the United Kingdom, Irelands, France, Brazil, Mexico etc. Additionally, their strategy brought them a revenue of US$135.98 billion in 2016.

Think: What is the greatest success inspiration rather than Amazon?

Ebay

To continue with, Ebay is considered as the most popular e-commerce site. Their story starts in 1995, with their first items sold, a laser pointer worth $14.83. Later in 1996, they started selling plane tickets and travel products. Furthermore, they continued to grow and expand their product categories and in 2000 they went public.

Since then Ebay is one of the biggest retailers for electronics and technology, accessories, clothes, shoes and other items for home decoration. In 2016, their revenue was US$8.97 billion. In order to succeed, you need a key growth strategy, as explained in Forbes.

Source: www.marketingweek.com

Alibaba

Furthermore, in the top 5 list, a spot takes Alibaba as well. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, started his business by providing B2B services in 1999 when he connected with overseas buyers.

One of their strategies is virtual shopping and they seem to know what is what. They are keeping up with the latest of trends – another key to success. They keep up with technology as well and continue marching into the public sphere.

With this in mind, no wonder that in 2016 surpassed Walmart and is considered as one of the largest internet companies. Their revenue shows their success with CN¥101.143 billion total in the last year.

Walmart

In addition, another spot is taken by Walmart, the largest company in the world by revenue which to illustrate, by 2016 was US$482.13 billion.

It all started in early 1945, by the former businessman J.C. Penney. His strategy was on selling products at low prices in order to get high volume sales. He continued with his focus until 1969.

Additionally, they went online in the new millennium. In 2000, they allowed their customers to shop online. Since then their e-commerce business is flawless.

Source: www.ascentgroupindia.com

Etsy

Although their services are brand new in the business of e-commerce, their customers are very satisfied with their service and products. They cover a wide range of products such as, art, photography, clothing, accessories, bath products and food as well. They are practicing a P2P strategy which is focused on handmade, vintage, or manufactured items.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, a well-thought strategy will bring you on top. I do not say it will be easy, it will be hard but not a single thing ever comes easily. For the most part, the road to success takes dedication, hard work, and determination.

All things considered, the market is a wild field. Given these points, as long as you keep up the good work and with trends too, the results will rise ultimately. Enjoy your journey to success.